Botaky es



G. H. STEAHNS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

PPLICAHON FLED IUNE 11| 191B- RENEWED OCT. I4 1920 G. H. STEARNS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED .LUNE H. 1918. RENEWED 0CT.14. 1920. 1,378,430. mem-ed May17,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET- 2.

G. H. STEARNS.

ROTARY ENmNE.

AFPLICATON FILED JUNE 11, 1918A RENEWED 0CT.14,1920.

1,378,430. 4 Paemed May 17, 1921.a

a SHEETS-SHEET a.

ITED STATES GEORGE H. STEARNS, 0F ROXB'URY, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGNE.-

Application filed .Tune 11, 1918, Serial No. 239,462.

To all fic/icm it may cof/cera Be it known thatl, GEORGE l-l. Srnnmvs, a citizen of the United States, residing at ltoxbury, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Rotary Engines7 of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary internal combustion engines. wMore particularly it relates to engines, adapted to work with gasolene or the like fuel, provided with a rotating member mounted eccentrically within an approximately' circular chamber and having a piston which sweeps around the wall of 'the chamber as the sait member rotates, sliding through said inember during each revolution as its eccentricity requires. Engines of this type have been proposed many times heretofore, on account of the manifest advantages of simplicity of construction and operation, few wearing parts, and compactness and speed; but so far as l am aware, none have been equal to the device which l am about to disclose or have proven successful. The present inifention comprises improvements in a number of respects. @ne feature deals with the packing of the piston blade, so that it is tight against leakage of gases, and auto matically flexible, taking up its own wear. Another feature relates to the reduction of friction between the piston and the cha1nber wall; and another feature relates to the provision of a balanced rotary engine, a simple method of cooling it, and the 'making of simple passages and controls therefor for inlet of air and fuel, for exhaust of products es .:oml'iustioin and for compression of the air and fuel as an intermediate stage during ogieration. '.l he invention contains other novel features of advantage as will appear from the description which follows. lt may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims. lt is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable efvzprossion in the appended claims whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention described.

'.lhe obi-sots of the invention as regards paclrin of the piston blade are accomplished by in 'oviding said blades with a flexible edge which presses and rubs constantly against the walls of the chamber. The balanced construction is provided, when desired, by

Specification of Letters Patent.

if'atented May 1,7, 1921.

Renewed ctober 14, 1920. Serial No. 417,017.

making two of the chambers with their ro tating members 180 apart. These may be on the same main shaft or may be on parallel shafts geared together. A single intake may serve them both; and a single exhaust. Also a single chamber intervening between them may receive the compression from and may discharge the mixture into each for combustion. The ports of Ithis compression chamber and the inlet and exhaust ports, for one part of the engine, may all be controlled by a single valve disk. A similar disk may serve the other part likewise. Thus these two parts in one sense constitute separate engines, for the engine can be made with only one of these chambers with its rotating piston and incidental valves and compression chamber; but if the two be used, they cooperate effectively as parts of a single engine. rThe engine is so arranged that the rotating parts are kept cool by internal centrifugal action on water, by virtue of their own rotation without requiring a separate pump. Details by which these ideas are carried out are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is an end elevation, in section on a plane crossing the main shaft or shafts perpendicularly in the middle of the explosion chamber; l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a detail in section on the line 2&-2 of Fig. 1, somewhat diagrammatically indicating the water circulation and cooling system;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modification of this feature, on a smaller scale;

Fig. 8 is a plan of the engine shown in n l, with one of the chambers and its surrounding parts in section on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. /l is a view looking in the same direction as Fig. 2 and indicates details of the valve disk;

Fig. 5 shows details of the piston flexible edge packing;

Fig. 6 is a plan of a modification in which the two rotating power members are on the same shaft;

Fig. 'l' is an end elevation of the same with part broken away to show the valve arrangements.

Fig. 8 is a plan of a further modification.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows an arrangement in which there are two rotating members l0 each within a chamber l1 CJD and having a piston blade 12 which penetrates the rotating member diametrically and is capable of moving through it reciprocatingly in the direction of its length. The chambers 11 and rotors 10 are approximately circular when viewed in the direction of Fig. 1, and have a rounded periphery when seenas cut by a plane passing through theaxis of rotor or chamber, as in Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. Each piston blade has, at its end, rollers 13 adapted to reduce the friction with which the end of its main portion rubs on the internal periphery of the chamber, whenever such rubbing occurs, and has ilexible laminated edgesconsisting of sheets or' metal 14: which project from it to the end., and to the sides of the chamber on each side of the main body part of the piston. These prevent leakage of gas past the piston blade. The action is that as the member 10 rotates the piston 12 which passes through it sweeps around the chamber. Part 10, being circular and being eccentric within the chamber 11, is so placed that its convex periphery pracw tically makes tangential contact with the concave periphery of the chamber at a fixed point which, in Fig. 1, is at the place where theV two chambers are nearest together, as would be seen if it did not happen that in that figure the piston is portrayed as occupying the position stated. lVhen the piston has swept on in the direction of the arrow from the place in which it is portrayed, the round wall oi the rotating member 10 makes tangential contact as above sta-ted with the interior surface of the chamber at the point Where these two would be cut by the axis of' the adjacent valve disk 15. As the total length of the piston in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, where its axis coincides with a diameter of chamber 11, is greaterv than the length which it could have when its axis coincides with the line 2-2 ct that ligure, which is only a chord of the chamber 11, if that chamber were strictly circular, it is preferable to make that chamloer not strictly circular but to flatten it a little in the direction in which the piston extends in Fig. 1, and to design it on a graduated scale so that the piston will tit all of the way during its sweep around the chamber, according to principles already known; but it preferred, and this is one et the advantages ot the invention, the chamber 11 may have a strictly circular periphery which is considerably cheaper to make; and thevariation in length between the chord on the line 2 2 and the diameter on the line beginning at 3 may be compensated by periodic yielding of the flexible edges oic the piston. Said flexible edges constitute the packingand consist of blades of flexible metal onV each side of. the piston, secured there by blocks 16, which compress the central portions thereoii upon the piston. They project laterally from the main body of the piston to the walls of the chamber and as illustrated in Fig. 1 are at their tips bowed outward from the piston. loing flexible and being divided into as many segments as desired, they can bend in and out; and as wear occurs, can extend ti :.rtlier. so

as to be always in contact with the wall ot the chamber. They are illustrated as it the packing on each side oi thc piston were made of a series et layers of flexible metallic plates, whose thickness is necessarily some what exaggerated in the drawing. lach layer being in two parts. one oi' which extends around one end and one side et the piston Se blade, the remaininggend andv side heine' covered by another blade set iu the .saine plane. As the exigencies of ciufvature oi" the peripheral wall or ot 'he s le walls ol' the chamber require.y they may l e. subdirid- 8 ed, by slits extending inward lroin their edges, into as many and as small nuits in each plane as is desirable. in order to niet sufficient lexibility and closeness of tit to the wall while yielding-lyT pressed a nlnet it. notwithstanding the curvature et the surface against which they press. ind in that case the successive lan uaey may he ranged to lap the cracks bet .een adjacent leaves in the same plane. They may be. .secured to the piston by fastenii in the nature of belts 1T but it is to be cheer-verl tha t as the parts rotate rapidly t i 'Lend always to be held out by centritugal '.oree against the periphery ot the chamber: and they might be secured only loosel in the central portion. The slot 1S indiiates how provision may be made for their :nljastment when set, or tor their automatic tlnoiiout centrit'ngally to keep themselves tight. lhen each layer consists oi at .least two separable pieces as illustrated, these are 'tree to ily apart. each seeking the periphery ai' the chamber nei;A to its own eccentric pertion which unbalanced. lllhether thas automatically moved outwvard. or whether otherwise set, the' press i., :ist the p1 riphery and sweep along' upon it at au angle which is obtuse., when viewed `trom the chamber gas side. so that any high pressure of gases in the chamber tends to press the laminated edges ot the packing; moie tightly against the lchainibr wall. fini." lubricating oil which may be on that wall scraped or plowed, as it were. from the 12o wall by the advancing edg'e or the hl; but the oil thus gathered on that ad sant edge, instead ot being thrown inward as it would be if thc motion were rectilinear. is kept thrown back to the edge of th E packing l by centrifugal force, and hence is kept directly at the rubbing' edge. ly this rubbing, also, all deposits ot carbon are kept clear trom the surface oi the chamber.

A compression ehaniher 52d is provided,

. lll'- CIK which in Fig. l is arranged midway between the two working chambers 1l. Each chamber has ports 21 tor intake and 22 tor outgo. rllhe Valve disk 15 has openings which communicate with these ports at ditferent distances from the axis ot the valve dish so that the port 21 is alternately connected with the compression chamber 2O and with the intake ot air and gas 19, while the discharge port 22 is alternately connected with the compression chamber 20 and with the exhaust passage 23. A spark plug` or other suitable ignition device may be inserted as at 24;; and l(rearing7 itor connecting' the valve disk lo with the main shaft 25 on which the rotating` i Aembers l0 are carried, may be provided as indicated at 26 and 27. rlhe chamber l1 may be made in halves held'together by bolts 28 and son arable on their medial planes as indicated in Fic'. El. As thus constructed, and with such supplementary details as are needed :tor lubrication and other incidentals accordingv to principles of machine design that areI well known, the apparatus operates with-intake in one sideV-tor example, the bottom part as represented in Fig. l. oi the chamber l1 at the lofts-while the exhaust is proseeding;` in the upper part of the same, followed by the introduction to the said lower portion oi some oit the accumulated compressed charge contained in chamber 20. and by ignition thereof. rlhe gas that was 'formerly in said part of the chamber is then in the upper part, at undergoing compression therein and then simultaneously therewith, 1'.. c. while compression continues passing.;- into the compression chamber 20. Atter this, intalie again occurs in the lower part and that which had been burning in the lower part is expelled 'from the upper part into the exhaust passa-ge 23. il.. similar cycle occurs in the other chamber 11; and the stresses are substantially balanced.

The piston cooling is indicated in Fig. 2. Water entering at the axis at the right of that ligure flows into the hollow center ot the shalt 25, and flows out through peripheral openings 3l in the other end of the saine shaft into a groove 32 il) whence it flows by holes into the atei1 space in the wall of the chamber ll. .Entering at one ond ot this it iinds its rape at the other end through a pipe 35. lt is propelled through this course by the rotary increment given to it in the interior of shalt 25; its escape holes 25 theretrom being' on a larger circle than its entrance so that centrifugal torce throws it out, at trie holes 31. 1n passing :trom one end ot shaft 25 to the other it is compelled by a lin 30 to out around the inside of the periphery of the main rotating member 10;

Yand as the water enters this member close to the place where the piston slides through it, and leaves it close to the same, the arrangement provides tor cooling` all oiC the important regions by water in close proximity. The lin 30 might be made helical, as an element ot a screw, as indicated at 2O in Fig. Q'and this would have some eitl'ect in starting flow ot water quickly the beginning; ot operations when the water is stationary. lhe arrangement a whole dispenses with need for an external pump.

The apparatus thus described has rf. n `few moving part-s, and therefore should be simple in construction, sturdy in operation; and as it automatically keeps the piston tight and fresh packing is easily iinstalled7 it should last well under service conditions.

1t has rollers 18 at the ends ot the main body oi the piston, between the liexible edgije laminas, which relier/'e the lamiiun in case so great a stress is imposed upon them that they bend enough to let the rollers make Contact; and in that case the rollers prevent an increase ot friction due to hard rubbing;` or" the ends olf the laminar. relations of the cycle sequences in the two chambers to each other van he varied by variations in the setting; or in the design ot the valve disks.3 and it necessary in the gearing' connections. Ey due attention to such simple matters of design the rotors may, for exaii ple. he made to work in unison7 in an ular sense, or 1800 apart; in the saine dires tion or opposite: with explosions in the under part ot each chamber or with one une der and the other upper.

ln this way various kinds of balance are obtainable, with explosions simultaneously or alternatino'.

lt for example the explosions be alternoting` and both in the lower parts.. the compressive discharges into the compression chamber will be alternatingfrom the two upper parts; and will mah prac i-z'ally continuous stream ot compr ssed ii rlow. The idea of maintaining' a reseryoi f. pressed mixture ot unitorni pressure may be approached more closely by dci/'clopment oiI the arrangement indicated in lligijs. 6, '1. and i Fins. 6 and 7 show two rotors on the same shalt, which may he preterred in some cases. Ey trie arrangement incicated in 8 a more compact produced in which the passage that consti tutes the compression chamber is shorter.v and hence conducive to highs compression. lt also has the character s io that a at such angular positions :is may be desired. giving either bale-.nce7 or continuous torque, orboth.

ln all of the inodiicetions illustrated, there is a possibilitjf'oi leakage from the part of the chamber in which the expansion occurs, and this is prerented in the niain by the above described packingof the rotating piston; but there are times dur'ng each revolution when the njtfiroech ot the solid bod;7 of the rotary ineniber to the cl amber 'fa-ll is s part of the inclosure. lhen the engine is new, this can be nie-de so as to lit closely against the Wall oi t ie chamber with a contact that is practically tengen iol at place mid-Way Jetrveen he ports oi the chamber; but with weer leakage iniffht develop along this line ot mntect. The drawing therefore illustrates a device which insy be used for making' or thv` chamber tight in such an exigenoy, and which hns the 'further benelit that it pe inits of the engine being` n'innnfaetured initiallj,7 Without the expense incidental to the care required 'for making this Contact tight. T his device consists in the provision a recess 4i() in the adjacent Wall et' the chainher5 and the sett rg thereon of packing` il, somewhat reseinbling` thst ot the pistons, coinprisine a plate or series oi" plates in the foin o' laxrinze which spring ,invard elssticallg7 eefainst t-ie rototine' ineinher sid Whose terl JAninfil edoes shaped in contofinit?,rv to the neripher f of the rota ingr ineinber nih pointing in its general direction oit rotation, beer thereon nt their very tips. These are tig-ht against the sides of the recess llt). be heut against theni upon the sani-e priuciple that the flexible edge plates ot the piston are bent, and are at their bases secured by bolts and soft pecking. it necessary, so that no gas can pass around their bases. As they point toward the portion oi? the chainber Where the explosion occurs, the pressure of such an explosion forces rss `ipon the books of these platese and so presses thein the more iirinly aggainstthe rotating member and thus prevents the escape of is a compression period et the cycle vis occurring' hej/ond this packing' W the coinhustion :frees on. the difference ont pithan it might be. During' the period olf intake. which Jfollows tne ce ibi stion .in the port of the chamber. the other part of the ehernber is open to the exhaust passage, and hence has sutiicient pressure to torce contents pest this stationer);Y gael-ting' to any material extent; and such tendone;7 oi. that sort :is exists niet' be countericted by the stiffness with which spring; laininee il bear on the rotating` member. lt will be observed that the piston packing laininze le rub past these laniin il twice at each half revolutien: but the angles of setting' of bot-h are suoli that tl e p"ston laminas Wipe the fir-:ed

iaust pas-sofie AS these are located iu e crent ctors ot the ciircuniiereuce, being th s hy their nngrulor setting' timed so tluu nI^ her is opened when the other is open. th e is no poss `iilitj.' tor contents ot 1die compression c l nein ver 2O to escupe by blowthrougrh port` 2Q through the openings le, i nd i3 to :is it inigrht it theyY were open at the saine time. Similarly the openings -l and (l which register with the port 2l are in t LAWent sectes. the ioriner oiE these reeisterinp the compression with l the latter with the inlet pusite times. ln operation. :i in to one side oi? the pistou ih ill and 2l und thon innueiLu-i die piston has swept past the 'the `inigure is dre-.Wu through. the 1 psu-sages to the other side of the piston io end olE the openii to is reurhed ch is after suhstantiulljf :i complete revothe roisrjv pistonuri-ying inemiter the lending end ot the piston iin passed the port 2la the )zissan'e the compression clnunlnir 2O is open i a liriet period :ind then is opened signin when the other pister has passed the port ecessary charge has hren vintrolorfine the course o t the niixluro cned ns heine' drown in behind the ge of the L)iston through passages and 2l, this undergoes compression :liter the rcnr crd ol the piston hos passed the port l; and when the leudiue' ond ol the piston has passed port itis discha 'und into the compression chainher Q0 th rough the port and the opening 42. The charge iininf diately following. which uns token in i ugh port 2l hehind the rear end of Ilthe Eliten reaches the port inuuediately hehind it and is likewise forced into the coinprcssion chamber through the sonic openingy t ne ignition and expansion oi the unt cher uint ure is d end et' until the i duced. first inenti lendingT ed which passes through onnipres- G. ehiinl er Q0 through opening: l5 and port 2l in the chamber 1l behind the lendingI` end of the piston. the products of Coinbustion gro out through the piissagre opening` 423 and exhaust passage 9.3 und :ire tollowed immediately by the siinilurl;7 exponded products which orc behind the following end of the piston through the same opening d3. This provides two explosions in succes sion in the chamber at the left of Fig. 1, during one revolution of the piston, and none during the next. chamber at the right in lig, l, the same 0ccurs but with the two explosions happening during the time when no explosions occur in the chamber at the left. The advantage of this arrangement is that it permits of a valve dislr l5 rotating at half the speed of the pistons without leakage through conjunction of valve openings. lf, however, the valve were made to rotate at the same speed as the rotating piston member, the periods of the cycle might follow each other in a single succession in each piston chamber, the device of arranging them in pairs being primarily for the purpose of making possible the use of a half time valve with single inlet port 2l or single outlet port 22, each respectively serving its purpose, viz: intake and compression inlet at the port 2l and compression outlet and exhaust at the port 22.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eccentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having flexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber.

2. lin a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eccentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having flexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber, laminated in multiple layers of 4thin material, whereby their rubbing edges spread apart somewhat.

3. ln a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eccentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having flexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber, laminated in multiple layers of thin material, whereby their rubbing edges spread apart somewhat; the layers being held loosely on the piston, and divided into segments, one for each end of the piston, whereby each may be kept out against the chamber periphery by centrifugal force.

d. .In a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eceentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having iexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber, laminated in multiple layers of thin material, whereby their rubbing edges spread apart somewhat; and a block on the piston, holding said sheets centrally in par- Meanwhile, in the allelism with the main body of the piston while their edge portions are free to bend out from the piston.

5. ln a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eccentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having flexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber, laminated in multiple layers of thin material, whereby their rubbing edges spread apart somewhat; the layers being severally slitted inward from their peripheries, and arranged with the slits overlapped by solid parts of other layers.

(i. ln a rotary engine the combination, with a chamber and a rotary member mounted within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member, and cooling means for the rotary member and piston, comprising the provision of a hollow in the member and its supporting shaft; means to introduce water thereto at the axis of the shaft, at one end; and means for escape of water therefrom at the periphery of the shaft on the other side of the said member.

7. ln a rotary engine the combination, with a chamber and a rotary member' mounted within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member, and cooling means for the rotary member and piston, comprising the provision of a hollow in the member and its supporting shaft; means to introduce water thereto at the axis of the shaft, at one end; and means for escape of water therefrom at the periphery 0f the shaft on the other side of the said member; there being a hollow provided in the wall of said chamber; and communication to it from said escape means, for water that has passed through the shaft; and means for escape of water from the chamber wall.

8. 1n a rotary engine the combination, with a chamber and a rotary member mounted within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member, and cooling means for the rotary member and piston, comprising the provision of a hollow in the member and its supporting shaft; means to introduce water thereto at the axis of the shaft, at one end; and means for escape of water therefrom at vthe periphery VOf the shaft on the other side of the said member; there being a 'fin in the hollow in the said member from the center outward, with water passage at its periphery.

9. In a rotary engine the combination, with a chamber and a rotary member mounted within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member, and cooling means for the rotary member and piston, comprising the provision of a hollow in the member and its supporting shaft; means to introduce water thereto at the axis of the shaft, at one end; and means for escape of all water therefrom at the periphery of the shaft on the other side of the said member; there being a fin in the hollow in the said member from the Center outward, with water passage at its periphery; said iin being an element of a screw, whereby water is propelled through said hollow.

10. In a rotary internal Combustion engine the combination, with a chamber haring inlet and outlet ports on one side, and a rotary member mounted eeeentrieally within it; of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof as it rotates; a compression chamber; a rotary Valve comprising a plate adapted to rotate past said ports and haring openings adapted to register with them, and so to Connect them with said Compression chamber, and with supply and exhaust passages.

11. In a rotary internal combustion engine the combination, with a chamber haring inlet and outlet ports on one side, and a rotary member mounted eeeentrieally Within it; of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof as it rotates; a compression chamber; a rotary valve eomprising a plate adapted to rotate past said ports and haring openings adapted to register with them, and so to Connect them with said compression chamber, and with supply and exhaust passages; said rotary plate being a plane disk, and having its openings at diverse radial distances from its axis.

12. In a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member lmounted eocentrically within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereof and having flexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the chamber; the body portion of the piston having terminal rollers whereby the deflection of the flexible edges is limited.

13. In a rotary engine the combination, with the chamber and a rotary member mounted eeeentrieally within it, of a piston adapted to slide through the rotary member on a diameter thereofl and having ilexible edges pressing obliquely against the walls of the Chamber, laminated in multiple layers of thin material, whereby their rubbing nera/ie edges spread apart somewhat; the said lamin projecting far enough to constitute the normal endwise support for the piston, whereby t-he piston is of Variable length.

14. In a rotary internal combustion eugine the Combination with a compression chamber of two piston ehan'ibers, pistons therein, and connections and ralres whereby,Y eaeh piston chamber compresses .into and draws its charge from said single compression Chamber.

15. In a rotary internal eonibustion engine the combination with a eempressimi chamber, of a plurality of piston chambers; pistons therein. all on the same shaft; and Connections and ralres whereby each piston chamber compresses into and draws its charge from said single compression chamber; said `valves being rotary plates with openings, intervening between said piston chambers and Compression chamber.

16. In a rotary engine the Combination, with a chamber haring inlet and outlet ports near together on one side and a rotary member mounted eeeentrieally within it. of a piston adapted to slide through the rotar)v member on a diameter thereof, and a spring plate arranged iixedly on the chamber wall and pressing upon the rotary member between said ports at a small angle to the tangential direction, pointing in the direction of rotation and constituting packing between the Chamber wall and the rotating member. i

17. In a rotary engine thel eombinatiml, with a chamber haring inlet and outlet ports near together on one side and av rotary member mounted eeeentrirully `within it, of a pistou adapted to slide through the rota ry member on a diameter' thereof` aud a spring plate arranged fixedly on the elmmber wall and pressing upon the rotary member between said ports at a small angle to the tangential direction, pointing` in the direction of rotation and eonstituting packing between the Chamber all and the rotating member; the said plate comprising a series of laminarl whose extreme tip edges tit against the rotating member.

Signed at Boston, Mass.` this 'lst day of (Tune, 1918.

GEORGE II. STERNS. 

